


I Wish You Weren't: Albus and Harry Potter (and other scene rewrites)

by jedilordrevan



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Betrayal, Canon Rewrite, Extended Scene, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Family Bonding, Family Fluff, Mental Anguish, Revelations, Trapped
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:35:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26383456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jedilordrevan/pseuds/jedilordrevan
Summary: A re-imagining of the infamous "I wish you weren't my dad" scene from Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Personally, I really didn't like how Harry Potter was written to speak more like a child than an adult in that moment. I attempted to have him talk more like a caring adult to his son in this work. (EDIT: Added a third scene rewrite. I wrote a dark scene (attempted anyway) of Delphi finally getting what she asked for and meeting the Dark Lord Voldemort))
Relationships: Albus Severus Potter & Harry Potter
Comments: 13
Kudos: 19
Collections: Fanfic Roulette 2020 Round 4





	1. I Wish You Weren’t: Albus and Harry Potter

**I Wish You Weren’t:  
Albus and Harry Potter  
** **M.C. Deltat**

“I just wish you weren’t my dad!” Albus yelled.

Albus Potter ungracefully stumbled side to side as he waited for his dad’s response. He could barely bring himself to look at his father’s face; instead preferring to awkwardly play with the love potion vial that Uncle Ron had given him. Eventually, however, he forced his gaze up.

He knew what his dad wanted to say. And Albus wanted to be face to face with him when he finally said it.

Albus watched his father, Harry, slowly bring up an argumentative hand as he opened his mouth to shout back. However, to Albus’ surprise, rather than saying anything, Harry only inhaled and exhaled; no words left his mouth.

After a few moments, a stern-faced Harry instead stood up and walked to door leading out of Albus’ room. Albus watched Harry with bated breath, waiting for what his dad was about to do.

Instead of simply leaving, however, he instead edged it open a bit. “Ginny!” Harry shouted through the crack. “Go ahead and take James and Lily to the platform.” He said nothing as Ginny responded. “No no, don’t worry. Ill take Albus directly to Hogwarts myself.” He paused again. “Ya, I love you too.”

Harry closed the door and turned back to Albus. He promptly walked back into the room and took a seat. Before he could say anything however, Albus interrupted.

“What do you mean you are taking me to Hogwarts?!” Albus complained.

“Exactly what it means.” Harry responded. That stern serious look never left his face; Not once. “Now sit. We need to talk.”

“I won’t be able to talk to my friend though. I promised to meet up with him on the express!” Albus continued. He stopped tossing the vial from hand to hand, instead began to grip at it tightly with his right.

“You will have the entire school year to see him. I will only see you for the next ten minutes. Now sit.” He ordered.

Albus really didn’t want to sit down. He didn’t want to have this conversation and he didn’t want to see his dad anymore. He just wanted get on to the Express and be away from this accursed family.

“Fine.” Albus grumbled. He figured that he could make this talk go faster if he just sat down and got it over with. Evidently, Harry could tell Albus’ discomfort however, and his face grew a little bit softer; a small tiny bit.

Both Potters sat, staring at each other, for several seconds. Harry opening and closing his mouth as he considered his words carefully and Albus who simply resumed playing with the love potion vial. Harry eventually looked at his old blanket, still at Albus’ feet, and resolved himself.

“What do you want me to say?” Harry asked. “That I don’t want you to be my son?”

“What I want,” Albus began, “Is leave here and already be on my way to Hogwarts.” The tenseness on his knuckles was evident.

Harry continued as if he said nothing though. “Well I won’t say that. And do you know why?” Harry didn’t allow Albus to say anything; although his son did try. “Because I love you. You are my son and I will always love you.” He slowly mouthed out each syllable so that it was as clear as possible. “Nothing you could ever do, would ever make me stop loving you.”

“Sure show it in a good way.” Albus muttered.

Harry heard what he said, but pretended not to. “I’m sorry. What?” he inquired.

Albus exploded up in a rage. “YOU ARE NEVER HOME. YOU ARE NEVER THERE. AND WHEN YOU ARE.” He fiercely pointed to the blanket. “YOU GIVE ME GARBAGE AND EXPECT ME TO BE THANKFUL FOR IT!”

Albus stopped shouting and just stood there, hyperventilating. He assumed his father would also explode in a rage after hearing the insult towards his childhood blanket; To be furious at Albus’ casual dismissal of the gift Harry claimed to have put so much thought towards.

But once again, Harry didn’t rise to anger. Instead, with a deep sigh, he raised one hand to take off his spectacles and then raised another hand to rub his eyes; his palm subconsciously inching up towards his scar.  
Eventually, he lowered his hands and put his glasses back on. In a soft tone, Harry attempted to soothe his son. “Why do you think I work so hard Albus? Why do you think I spend so much time at the office and in the field?” he quietly asked.

Albus said nothing. He just stood and silently seethed.

“Because when I was a child, the people who formerly held my position were nothing but toddlers in men’s clothing.” Harry said. “When I was a child, I was forced to resist evil and brave dangers that no child should ever have to face. When I was a child, the world depended on me to bring down Voldemort.” Harry continued. His voice grew introspective. “No one should have to face the problems I had when I was but a child. I do what I do because I want to protect my family; so that my children won’t ever have to deal with similar demons.” He finished.

“Huh,” Albus scoffed. “Maybe James and Lily.” He muttered under his breath.

“No Albus.” Harry declared. “You too.” He assured, “I love you just as much as them.”

Albus’ eyes began to water, but he fought back the tears as best he could. “How can you honestly say that when you give Lily her ‘fairy wings’, and James the invisibility cloak?” 

Harry’s eyebrow raised a tad as he asked back, “Do you want fairy wings?”

Albus couldn’t fight back the chuckle as he answered, “No. Those are for girls.” He pouted.

Harry, seeing the tears on his son’s face start to fade away, pressed on, “And I am sure that James would share the cloak if you asked.” He claimed.

Upon hearing that, the smile which was beginning to form on Albus’ face promptly disappeared. A frown showed up instead; Not that Harry would have seen it, considering the current downward tilt that Albus’ head was at.

“He won’t though.” Albus claimed. “He won’t even talk to me anymore; neither will Lily.” Albus’ grip on the love potion vial tightened. “No one wants to talk to the Potter castoff. No wants to give the snake of the family a moment of time. They would just rather talk behind my back; Loudly.” Albus bit out through clenched teeth.

Harry had to resist the urge to laugh. “Albus, do you know what I was called throughout my time at Hogwarts?”

“Hero of Britain. The One who lived. The Slayer of Voldemort.” Albus dully listed out as if he was reading a grocery list. “Ya, Ya. I’ve heard it enough times already.”

Harry nodded as he listened to Albus. “And in my second year, The Heir of Slytherin.” He added. “Trust me, whatever you are going through, I went through as well.”

Albus’s rage grew after hearing that. “No one is allowed to have a problem near you, aren’t they?” He asked. “Anytime anyone says anything, they get regaled with the 40 times that HARRY POTTER had to risk his life for the masses.” Albus whined. “I had to kill a basilisk. I had to face a dozen dementors. I had to rob Gringotts.” He listed. “Not everything has to be about you Dad. You don’t have to one up someone every time they voice an issue.”

“That wasn’t my goal.” Harry attempted to assure. “I promise you that isn’t what I am trying to do.”

“THEN WHAT?” Albus yelled. “WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO? WHAT DO YOU WANT?”

Harry made sure to speak slowly; for Albus. “I want to show you that I’ve been through what you are going through.” Harry explained. “I want you to talk to me.” He promised.

“BUT YOU ARE NEVER HERE!” Albus shouted.

In Albus’ rage, his grip on the love potion vial tightened and tightened. Eventually, the cheap vial could take no more and explosively shattered. Glass fragments and love potion washed over Albus’ hand before dripping down onto Harry’s old blanket.

“AHHH!” Albus cried out. “IT HURTS!”

“Albus, don’t worry.” Harry said as he jumped to action. He took his wand out of his holster as he leapt to his son’s aid. With a wave, Harry non-verbally casted a healing charm on his son’s lacerated hand. 

Eventually, the pain dulled enough for Albus to regain his focus. With a muted exclamation, Albus said, “Ah, your blanket.”

Harry ignored his childhood memento on the floor. “The problems you have now are important.” Harry quietly assured. “And since they are important to you, they are important to me. Because I love you and I will always want you to be my son.” Harry promised.

By now, Albus’ hand was more or less fine. He pulled it away from Harry’s tender grasp and squeaked out, “I wish I could believe that dad. I wish I could.”

Harry attempted to assure further, but saw Albus take a few tepid steps back.

“Okay, then.” Harry relented. “I think we have had enough. Take your suitcase outside and make sure everything is ready. If we hurry, I think we can make it to the train so that you can meet up with Scorpius.”

Albus’ eyes widened at hearing his friend’s name but he said nothing. Instead, he hefted up his luggage and ran out of the door, leaving his room.

Now standing alone in his son’s room, Harry absorbed the silence. He slowly looked down and carefully lowered to pick up his now, potion and glass ridden, blanket. The tears welling up in his own eyes only served to ruin his childhood memento further.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Its M.C. Deltat again. This one is shorter than my usual stories. Basically, I was reading Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and I hated how this scene was written. Maybe it is just me, but I feel like a parent should never talk that way to their child. I decided to give the scene a quick rewrite in the way I would have approached it. Hopefully, I still captured the essence of the scene, but in a way that doesn't demand Harry to talk as if he was still a child. Seriously, an adult should never seriously say, "At least you have a dad," to their own child.


	2. The Augurey Revelation

**The Augurey Revelation  
** **M.C. Deltat**

  
“Oh, nice mark,” Albus offhandedly mentioned.

Delphi had captured Albus’ attention from the moment she arrived and joined the duo. In fact, Scorpius was pretty sure that Delphi easily captured Albus’ attention _every time_ she joined for another hairbrained scheme. Unfortunately, for Albus anyway, Scorpius could easily tell that Delphi did not care to return the favor to his best friend. Indeed, after hearing of Voldemort’s rise in the alternate world, she had grabbed the time turner and began to play with it; a focused glare on her face. A glare that appeared to lie somewhere between awe and thoughtfulness.

It was while fiddling with this magical device of untold power, her cloak loosened slightly and revealed a tattoo on the back of her neck.

“Oh what?” Delphi mindlessly muttered. She turned her head to towards Albus. “Sorry, I was… lost in another world.”

The sudden movement of her head served to reveal the mark on the back of her neck further. And with her face directed towards Albus, Scorpius could now clearly see the distinct image of a bird.

He suddenly felt like he was forgetting something important. 

“I’m sorry Albus. Could you repeat yourself?” Delphi asked. She had missed the look of intense thought on Scorpius face.

“The tattoo on the back of your neck.” Albus used his own finger and neck to gesture out what he meant.

“Oh ya.” Delphi whispered. “Thank you.”

“I can’t believe I never noticed it before.” Albus commented.

“What a shock.” Scorpius muttered under his breath. “Days spent looking at her; all of it a waste.” He couldn’t help it. Even trying to remember the significance of the bird, the opportunity for flame took precedence.

Albus glared at his best friend but didn’t acknowledge what he said. Delphi also seemed like she wasn’t going to respond to the comment either; Not verbally anyway.

Although, seeing the increasingly flushed cheeks on Albus’ face, Scorpius assumed that Delphi did likely have an amused smirk on her face. Good; Scorpius chuckled in amusement to his own snark in addition to Albus’ embarrassment. He knew he said something funny.

“Uh, well, Truthfully, eh, I don’t remember what the name of that bird is. Is… is it a magical creature?” Albus chocked out through an anxious stutter.

Delphi put her hands on her hips in semi-serious manner and jokingly chided Albus. “Well clearly,” she began, “This naughty young boy isn’t paying attention in his Care of Magical Creatures class.”

Albus, definitely not appreciating being the butt of consecutive jokes, raised his hands in a placating manner. “Sorry, Sorry.” He responded. “But in my defense, who really pays attention in Care of Magical Creatures?” He asked rhetorically. “The whole class is a… PUT YOUR HAND DOWN SCORPIUS!” Albus suddenly yelled.

With a smile on his face, Scorpius lowered his raised hand.

Delphi, meanwhile, turned around. With her hands still fiddling with the time turner, she spoke to Scorpius. “Well then Mr. Malfoy. Could you tell the class what the bird on my tattoo is?”

Scorpius through a little harder, and with an excited shout, answered, “It’s an Augurey.” Upon seeing Delphi’s nodding face, he continued talking. “They’re sinister-looking black birds that cry when a rain downpour is coming.” As he spoke, Scorpius remember more and more about the bird. “They are often considered to be magical fortune tellers. Ancient mages used to believe that an Augurery’s cry could… foretell… death.” He slowly mouthed out the least few words of his sentence. He said nothing further as he drowned in thought. “Wait a second, wasn’t there someone called ‘The Augurery’ in the alternative timeline?” Scorpius suddenly remembered.

Seeing Scorpius say nothing more, Albus decided to fill the air. “That sounds really cool! Maybe I’ll get a Augurery tattoo as well.” He complemented Delphi. “Did you have one as a companion?”

For the first time, Delphi had something that wasn’t a smile or smirk on her face. As she looked between the boys, she softly answered, “Yes... well actually no.” She could see the confusion on the boys’ faces. “It was my guardian’s. She had one in a cage.”

“She?” Scorpius asked. “Was it not Mr. Diggory who took care of you?”

“No. I only reunited with him recently. My guardian was a decrepit old lady named Euphemia Rowle.”

“Rowle?” Scorpius thought. “I know that name. Where do I know that name from?” he pondered. He began to search his thoughts. This felt important.

Delphi’s eyes glazed over and froze at a random point in the distance. She spoke as if she was remembered some long past, and long hated, memory. Despite that, there still was the hint of a giggle as she spoke. “She used to say it cried because it could see my end; My own death.” Delphi suddenly refocused and looked back at Scorpius. “If she wasn’t lying, the damn bird predicted my death every single day,” she gestured. “And yet here I am.”

“That sounds awful,” Albus regretfully commented. “To be so unwanted. So unloved.”

To Scorpius, it felt like Albus was talking about himself just as much as Delphi.

“Yes well,” Delphi began, “I am pretty sure that she only took me in for the money. After Voldemort fell, she found herself short on funds.”

Scorpius noted that and considered it. “This Rowle lady is starting to sound more and more familiar.” He thought. It was killing him that his brain refused to work as well as it had before all his stressful time traveling adventures.

With a comforting tone, or at least Albus’ attempt at one, he spoke. “Why would you want a tattoo of the bird owned by such a terrible person then?” He asked.

“To remind myself,” Delphi started to answer. She turned her head back towards Albus. “To remind myself that the future is mine. I choose what path I take forward. No matter what anyone else says or wants, I will act with furious drive to make the world the way I want it.”

Albus slowly walked closer to Delphi and placed a hand upon her shoulder. Truthfully, it looked funny considering how much shorter Albus was when compared to Delphi. Still, he made a valiant attempt and exclaimed. “And I will be there with you to help.” Suddenly he looked very meek. “If you will have me, of course.”

Scorpius couldn’t see Delphi’s face, turned to Albus’ as it was. But even if he could see it, he wouldn’t be paying attention to it. He had finally remembered. He finally knew where he had heard of the Rowle name from.

“Death Eaters.” He slowly whispered out in his mind. 

Scorpius recalled those few candid conversations he used to have with his father. There was one especially depressing talk that happened after his mother had passed on. His dad clearly wasn’t taking it well and had just talked and talked. Scorpius, also doing poorly, decided to stay and listen. He had just wanted to do something with his dad; to be with him… his last family member. So, he sat politely and listened to everything that his dad wanted to say.

In that talk, his dad waxed poetic about his many regrets regarding the former death eaters. He talked about the dead ones first; The Carrows, Crouch, The Lestranges… and then he talked about the ones still living; The ones who had survived the fall… Rowle was one of them. And she lost a lot when Voldemort died. Many of them did. His dad mentioned being surprised that she never approached him for financial help. Not that he would have helped, but desperate times and all that.

Scorpius face grew resolute upon his mental discovery. He made sure not to make any sudden movements as he took in the situation. With the slightest twitch of his eyes, he saw that Delphi was focused on Albus at the moment; good.

Very slowly, Scorpius drew his wand. He had to make sure that she didn’t became aware of the danger he now posed. He brought up the magical weapon, thankful to Albus for distracting her, and shouted a strong, “stupefy.” She didn’t react in time. 

Albus, however, did.

With a face of shock and confusion, Albus pushed Delphi out of the way and raised his own wand. “Protego!” He shouted.

Scorpius’ spell impacted upon Albus’ shield and sputtered out uselessly.

“What are you doing!” Albus shouted; a look of despair clear on his face. “Don’t tell me, are you…”

He didn’t finish his sentence. A silent stupefy impacted him from behind and froze that look of anguish upon his face. It almost hurt Scorpius to look at it. Luckily, there was a more pressing matter to focus on.

Delphi lowered her wand. It was still smoking with magical energy. She slowly walked towards the frozen in-place Albus and placed a hand upon his body.

The look she projected at Scorpius was terrifying. She had a big toothy grin on her face along with the eyes of a peak predator. She definitely wasn’t trying to express happiness; there as another emotion there, something much much darker.

Scorpius had never been able to understand the way his dad described what being in Voldemort’s presence was like. Afterall, how would you truly express the feeling like that of a dementor eating your happiness to someone? Unless you experienced it yourself, words were useless.

Scorpius now understood what his dad spoke of.

Regardless, he kept his wand up; fighting past the shakes and clammy hands as best he could. He opened to mouth to speak, but words failed to come out.

On the other hand, Delphi was happy to fill the air. As she moved to caress Albus’ cheek, she spoke. “Boys are so easy to control; to manipulate. A subtle look, a light touch, a feigned interest,” she chuckled quietly. “And suddenly they are ready to die for you.” She turned her head towards Scorpius. “What gave it away?”

Despite several false starts, Scorpius finally stuttered it out. “In – in the future. You were called the Augurey.” He answered.

It seemed impossible to Scorpius, but somehow the grin on Delphi’s face grew. “The Augurey?” she asked. “Yes, yes, I like that. The Augurey.” She thought out loud. 

Scorpius suddenly shot out several more stupefies at her, but she lazily parried them all.

“Come now,” Delphi laughed. “And I thought we were having a pleasant conversation with each other.” She draped her body over Albus’ frozen form. “You are going to need something more powerful than a stunning spell; just be careful not to hit your best friend.”

“Why are you doing this?” Scorpius cried out. “What could you possibly want?”

“The world you described,” she began, “The other world; I will make it our world.”

Scorpius had a look of shock on his face. “Hell... That world was Hell. Why would you want to bring it back?” 

“Our world is imperfect. It is weak. It is dirty. And it is shameful. I will resurrect the true way. I will return the land to a pure, strong, and noble magic. I will return the Dark to its rightful place.” She spat venomously. “And then I will be able to be with him again.” She whispered as an afterthought.

Scorpius almost didn’t hear that last part, but regardless, he stood his ground and resisted her; both her goals and her being. “I would rather die than allow that to happen.” He claimed.

Her grin narrowed to a smirk and her pupils shifted over to Albus. “You would rather die, I am sure. The world is full of heroes willing to die for the cause after all.” She brought her wand to Albus’ temple. “But would you rather he die?” she asked. “Would you be okay with your dear, best, friend Albus dying?”

Scorpius faltered for a moment before answering. “If he saw the same thing I did, I am sure he wouldn’t want me to falter.”

A thoughtful look appeared on her face, but it was a trick. To be honest, Scorpius considered, everything about Delphi had been a trick. Every single moment they had shared, every feeling, every endeavor, everything was probably a trick.

“Well,” Delphi started talking, irrelevant of Scorpius’ thoughts, “Maybe you will find in him the afterlife one day to ask.” With a deep breath, she began to shout. ”AVARDA …” she started.

“WAIT.” Scorpius interrupted. Delphi ceased her spell but looked ready to restart at any moment. “wait please.” Scorpius begged. “I’ll do what you want.’ His eyes looked ready to fall to tears. “I’ll do whatever you. Just please, please don’t hurt him.”

The grin returned to Delphi’s face. “Good, good.” She muttered. “Toss your wand over here,” she ordered.

With regret and shame, he threw his wand over to Delphi.

With great apparent joy in the act, Delphi raised her leg and stomped down hard on it.

It was loud in the Forbidden Forest, so Scorpius couldn’t hear the wand snapping, but he felt it. He felt it in his heart and soul. He involuntarily shuttered as he somehow became lesser.

By the time he refocused, however, Delphi was walking towards him. It was a confident stride, but also a lithe, seductive one. This Delphi presented herself differently than before. “Was everything a lie?” he asked. He didn’t feel the need to clarify.

“Everything.” She confirmed as she walked closer. “Oh, don’t be sad” a mocking look appeared on her face. “I’ll tell you what; Allow me to tell you a secret.”

“A secret?” Scorpius asked confused.

“Yes.” Her mouth was but a hair’s length away from his ear now. He recoiled unconsciously every time he felt her breath impact against him; It was a moist heat.

“I was never going to kill Albus.” She whispered.

“Whhhat?” Scorpius replied. He could barely focus now.

“I need him for the prophecy. You however,” She paused before continuing. “You are the spare. And you will be useful.” She enunciated each word against his ear. 

Scorpius wasn’t given the time to respond. He heard a shout, and before he was even aware of what Delphi had said, everything went black. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! M.C. Deltat here. This is another scene in Cursed Child that I wanted to Re-write. I didn't like how the scene where Scorpius finally sees Delphi's true nature was written. He kinda just blurts it out and basically acts in the worst way possible (one of the worst ways anyway). I attempted to add some meat to the scene and have him act rationally. As with the first chapter, I tried to keep the original flavor of the source text; just handled differently.


	3. Never Meet Your Hero

**Never Meet Your Hero  
** **M.C. Deltat**

“Are you sure you can do this?” A nervous Hermione asked. The worry evident just from her eyes. 

Harry had a grim, but determined, look on his face as he turned towards Hermione and responded, “It doesn’t matter if I can do it,” Harry stated. “What matters is that I have to do it.” He sighed. “My life has never cared if I _‘could’_ do something or not.”

Ginny had a regretful smile on her face as she spoke up. “It has, hasn’t it?” she agreed. “Harry Potter charging into the unknown to save the world.” She chuckled despite herself.

“And dragging his friends along with him.” Ron added. “Willing or otherwise.” He had a grin on his face that slowly disappeared as he looked at Harry’s visage. “Uh, usually willing,” Ron added as an afterthought.

“Yes, well,” Harry muttered. “As I said, if she truly is _his_ child, she will speak in Parseltongue. The fact of the matter is that we have no choice here. I will do what I must.” He grunted.

Ginny walked up and placed a comforting hand on Harry’s shoulder. “No.” she implored. “We are here to help. We will help.”

Harry raised his own hand and grabbed Ginny’s hand in a fond embrace. “I know.” He said. “But some things require a gentle touch; one that might be difficult if we have too many fingers in the pie.”

“Why do I feel like you are talking about me?” Ron asked to no one in particular.

“Well, that’s a good question.” Hermione began to elaborate. “The answer can be found in why you felt the need to double check.” She smirked.

“I won’t dignify that with a response.” Ron gripped. “Instead…” He looked back to Harry. “There has been something on my mind…” he paused. “Something about Delphi’s goals confuse me.”

Ginny’s head tilted in confusion. “Really? I feel like all this whole situation is pretty direct actually. She wants to prevent the prophecy from dooming Voldemort and ending his reign before it can truly begin.” She explained.

Ron waved his hands, dismissing Ginny, as he expanded on his thoughts. “Yes, that is obvious… but what exactly does she think will happen? Is she expecting Voldemort to welcome her wholeheartedly? To believe the grand story she will, no doubt, regale him with?”

Hermione pondered the thought carefully. “You make a good point Ron.” Her head bobbed as she measured the situation. “What is she expecting?”

“She is expecting Voldemort.” Harry answered. He rubbed his chin in consideration as he continued. “And she thinks she knows what that means, but she doesn’t.” The hesitation on Harry’s face morphed into determination. “I will give her what she is asking for.” He promised. “Exactly what she is asking for.”

“Harry…” Ginny hesitated. “Just what are you pla…”

Before Ginny could finish her question however, Draco ran up to the group. “Guys, I saw her.” He gasped out. “Delphi is close. Its now or never.” Draco paused as he finally noticed the tense atmosphere radiating out from Harry. “Something wrong?” Draco asked.

Before anyone could reply, Harry expressed firmly, “No. No, everything is fine. We are ready.”

Harry looked firmly at his friends; silently warning them not to say anything. They looked as if they were about to anyway, but they all eventually thought better of it. 

With a deep exhale, Hermione finally confirmed Harry’s proclamation. “Yes, we are ready.” She turned away from Harry and looked towards the other members of the group. The tone of a confident Minister for Magic revealing itself as Hermione began to dictate orders to the rest of the group. “Everyone get into shadows. Be silent and still – let’s not complicate the situation by giving up the ambush.” She turned back to Harry and gestured for him to continue.

“It will be obvious when to jump in and assist me. Until then, however, make sure that you do nothing to interfere with my conversation.” Harry requested. “Oh, also, please make sure that the kids do not see this. They have been forced to deal with enough already.” He added as an afterthought. “When I was a child, I never had a parent to come in and clean my messes up. I am happy to extend that favor to Albus and Scorpius.” 

Ginny, Hermione, and Ron had stern faces as they gave Harry a hesitant look of confidence. They quickly turned and walked to their corners. Draco, however, stayed behind.

“Is something wrong Draco?” Harry inquired. “Now isn’t a good time to be getting cold feet.”

Draco leaned in close and whispered to Harry. “We don’t know if she is working alone.” Draco paused before continuing. “And _WE_ ,” he enunciated, “have a good idea of most of the people involved in Voldemort’s schemes.”

Harry’s eyes grew wide for a moment before he regained control.

“Try to make sure we won’t have to deal with a round two later.” Draco advised. “We don’t want to be messing with time like this again.”

Harry nodded at Draco in a voiceless show of agreement. “Don’t worry; I’ll get it done.” Harry assured.

“I am not worried.” Draco retorted. “I know how stubborn you get.”

Seeing that Draco was still speaking to Harry, Hermione screamed over in a loud whisper, “Draco. Get over here now.”

Despite himself, a small smile grew onto Draco’s face. “Ha. I guess I am a part of the group now, aren’t I? Hermione is bossing me around too.”

“DRACO,” Hermione hissed once again; interrupting Draco’s small celebration. He decided to run over instead of making her angrier.

With all four adults hiding in the shadows of the church, and the children sleeping, Harry basked in the colored light refracting though the stain glass windows. He closed his eyes and focused on remembering. Harry forced himself to think back to every single memory he had of Voldemort; all the inflicted pain, destruction, and loss. Harry brought it all to the forefront of his mind and suddenly shot his head forward in focus. With his eyes still closed, he raised his wand to his temple and slowly brought it down along his body.

Sparks of magic erupted from his phoenix and holly wand through the gesture. And as each spark impacted upon Harry, he began to change. His hair fell out, his nose receded, and his eyes narrowed. Eventually, it was no longer Harry standing there, but the Dark Lord Voldemort himself.

Harry forced himself to stay still for a moment; everything felt wrong. It was as if his very soul was rejecting the form he took. He swallowed the uncertainty however. People were depending on him and beyond that… well beyond that he had a lesson to teach. He waved his wand to slowly edge the church doors open as a bait. Satisfied with his work, Harry then turned around and waited.

Evidently, he did not need to wait long. Harry soon felt a presence peering through the slit in-between the great doors. Based on what the children told him, the feeling he was getting felt right. Harry swallowed what was left of his reluctance, and whispered to himself.

“All right; Time to show her Voldemort.”

Before the presence sculking behind the doors could react, Harry’s wand shot up in a display of technical mastery. The great doors of the church exploded open and the newly revealed female was forced to the floor. Then, quickly and painfully, she was dragged over to Harry’s feet; the newly formed scratches on the marble floor being the only reaction to her pain.

“WHO ARE YOU?” The newly formed Voldemort screamed. To be honest, Harry almost frighted himself. He persisted though. “WHO ARE YOU TO SPY ON ME; THE GREATEST DARK LORD THIS WORLD HAS EVER KNOWN!”

Delphi, now visible in the same lights that illuminated the Dark Lord, said nothing. Her mind was in overload. She had not, in her wildest dreams, ever imagined her first meeting with Voldemort, her father, to be like… this. She was torn between the pain she felt in her body and the pain she felt in her heart.

Voldemort said nothing as he looked down at Delphi. He almost felt regretful, but almost wasn’t enough to negate the severity of her crimes or her intent. After having enough of Delphi’s murmurs, he continued. “I had hoped that Dumbledore would approach me himself. Imagine my disappointment at this revelation. To send a second class mudblood like you,” Voldemort sneered, “to assassinate me is deeply insulting.”

Voldemort began to pace around Delphi’s prone body.

“I will have to express this displeasure to Dumbledore next time I see him. When his spy is dead, and the Potter’s are dead, then maybe he will feel a small part of the disappointment I feel now.” Voldemort returned to his original place and raised his wand in a firm grip. “But,” Voldemort began again, “that moment will have to come later. Until then, I find myself forced to vent my frustrations on you.” 

Voldemort’s wand once again began to pulse with powerful magical energy; the very air growing dense. “I promise you; this will hurt.” Voldemort smirked as he saw Delphi’s eyes peer up in fear. “CRUCI…”

“I AM YOUR DAUGHTER!” Delphi cried out. She coughed as she cleared her throat; sore from the shout.

Voldemort hesitated. “My daughter?” Voldemort questioned.

“Yes. I am your daughter from the future.” Delphi stuttered. She tried to pull herself up but found her efforts opposed by magic.

“PROSTRATE YOURSELF!” Voldemort commanded.

Partly due to the magic and partly due to Voldemort’s order, Delphi fell back onto her knees. 

Voldemort walked up and used his foot to slowly nudge Delphi’s head up. In a softer tone, or at least as close as Voldemort could get to soft, Voldemort began to inquire. “Yes, there does seem to be a resemblance, but only just.” Voldemort removed his foot from Delphi’s face and stepped back before continuing the questioning. “Tell me, if you are my daughter, how are you here? How is it that we are speaking right now?”

Delphi struggled to get the words out; terrified as she was. “It was your most loyal servant Rodolphus Lestrange who … OOWW.” She cried in pain.

Voldemort pulled his wand back after casting a stinging hex. As she paused to recover from the blow, Voldemort spoke. “Not more than 10 words out of your mouth and already an untruth. Now either you are lying or Lestrange was. Not a soul exists that would describe him as ‘loyal’.”

The battle that Delphi was internally fighting with herself finally ended in a loss as tears slowly creeped out. “I promise you; I am telling you my truth.” She begged. Upon seeing her father wait for more, she continued. “Rodolphus Lestrange, Bellatrix’s loy…” she faltered before corrected course, “Bellatrix’s husband, after returning from Azakaban told me of my lineage and of my purpose.” Delphi swallowed, fear in her eyes as she continued. “There is a prophecy he discovered, one he thought that I would fulfill. I am to save you my lord…” She stopped talking as she once again felt stinging upon her flesh. 

“Do not presume to count yourself as one of mine.” Voldemort interrupted again. “There are but only a few who have the privilege to consider me their lord.” Voldemort waited for Delphi to recover, before continuing. “Now, what is it that you were sent to save me from exactly? I am upon the precipice of retribution; all who have ever stood in my path are soon to fall.”

“You die tonight.” Delphi gasped out. “The Potter mother uses some very powerful magic which causes your spell to rebound and destroy your body. You wander as a specter for almost two decades before finally returning to wage your war again.”

“And then?” Voldemort asked. Delphi flinched upon hearing his voice but a shocked look formed on her face when she felt no pain.

“You once again began a campaign to conquer. A campaign that eventually leads to the Battle of Hogwarts… a battle that you lose.” She finished.

Voldemort deliberated waited for a moment before speaking. “An exceptional story that you weave. However, exceptional stories require exceptional evidence.” Voldemort bent down to gaze better at Delphi’s face. “What have you brought; I wonder?”

“I promise you,” Delphi began to speak in Parseltongue. “All I have spoken is true.”

Voldemort did his best to form a look of surprise upon his visage. “Ah, you speak the most noble of languages?” he mused. “Perhaps there is truth in your words then.”

Delphi coughed before continuing. “I have focused all that I am to you, my father.” She slowly tried to get up, waiting to see if the man in front of her reacted. When he didn’t, she continued stumbling to her feet. “Every moment of my life, I have dedicated to your return. Every thought, single minded in its pursuit.”

Voldemort turned around, showing his back to the girl. “As to be expected from one of my blood.”

Delphi had finally got onto her feet, but had to be careful. She could barely stand still without swaying; her whole body felt numb. She opened her mouth to say something, but quickly closed it; deciding to wait. Any tears she had were long since missing from her face.

Still not looking at Delphi, Voldemort began to approach other questions. “So tell me, my future daughter, who is left? After my end, how many of my faithful worked to progress my vision?”

“None of them.” Delphi bit out. “Only I remained.”

“Truly?” Voldemort stressed. “After all those pledges of undying loyalty, not a single Death Eater decided to continue?” Voldemort paused in thought. “You did mention Lestrange; Did he also cease?”

“By the time I was in a state to act, they were all either dead or dying.” Delphi answered. “Lestrange was one of the latter. After his time in Azkaban, he was satisfied with setting me on the path; He then quietly lived out what little time he had left in peace.”

“I will have to punish him then. In fact, I will have to punish all my Death Eaters after tonight.” Voldemort growled. “Cowards. Every single one of them willing to disappear into silence. With your help, we will correct that nasty habit.”

Hearing the word ‘help’ shocked Delphi. She had been waiting for so long to hear that from her father, and yet now … it felt less. “Help…” she muttered.

“Speak boldly and with purpose. One of my noble bloodline should never cower in fear.” Voldemort ordered.

A smile formed on Delphi’s face; not that Voldemort would have seen it. “I planned on being yours: The Augury to your Dark Lord. I was ready to give all that I was, all that I ever would be, to you.”

A smile formed on Voldemort’s face. “Was?” he pondered.

“You are a weak, spiteful, man” she decreed. “You are not worthy of my service.”

“So, it seems.” Voldemort echoed. “Then I suppose … you are no longer my child.” Voldemort rapidly pivoted on the heels of his feet, wand already out. “YOU ARE A RIVAL!”

Voldemort shot a stunner towards Delphi’s position. She evaded by merely floating up into the air. In a vengeful cackle, she shouted, “Witness what could have served you and despair.” Delphi began to return spellfire; magic of a far more lethal variety than the stunners that Voldemort was using.

To Delphi’s visible shock though, not a single spell reached their target. Every bit of magic she flung at her father quickly fizzled out. A deep laugh echoed as Voldemort enjoyed Delphi’s growing frustration. No matter what she did, it didn’t matter. After all, how could she know that he was cheating? She tried pivoting among several different magics; jinxes, curses, transfigurations. Every last spell was quickly and efficiently disposed of. Voldemort never felt at risk. And he made sure to take advantage of that. Every ounce of focus he had, directed to pure assault. 

Delphi didn’t last long, not in her state. She quickly found herself bound in rope and falling from the sky. The thud her impact caused echoed throughout the church; her whimpers pierced beyond that.

“You are lucky that I stunned the rest when I did.”

A lone voice drew Harry’s attention away from Delphi. He looked up to see Draco walking out of the shadows while putting his wand away.

“I have no doubt that they would have stopped you far before you could have gathered any useful information.” Draco chastised.

Harry grimaced. “I may have gone too far in a few places,” He agreed. 

“Indeed,” Draco nodded. “Seriously, I don’t think I have ever seen you go that far before. And I remember you trying to kill me Harry.”

Harry almost retorted, but stopped when the whimpering girl at his feet spoke up.

“Harry?” Delphi sobbed. Still tied up in rope, she could barely move. Even so, she forced her head to get as best a look as she could. Voldemort stood in front of her. “Harry Potter?” she was almost begging.

With a stern face, Harry once again put his wand to his temple and worked to undo the complex transfiguration he had placed upon himself. Slowly but surely, the features of Voldemort began to disappear as the visage of one Harry Potter returned.

“HARRY POTTER,” Delphi exclaimed.

To Harry’s shock, her shout was not one of rage or hatred, but relief… a deep relief.

“It wasn’t my Lord Voldemort who rejected me. I wasn’t speaking to my father; I was speaking to Harry Potter.” She was almost sobbing.

Harry, with a mournful face, slowly walked right up to Delphi. Draco stood still in the distance as Harry bent down onto his knees and looked directly into Delphi’s eyes. He spoke clearly to her.

“No Delphi,” Harry corrected, “It was exactly Voldemort.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This scene is less true to what I attempted with my first two chapters. With my first two scene rewrites, I attempted to 'fix' moments in Cursed Child to add more depth but still stay true to what the play was going for. However, for this chapter, I kinda went nuts. See, I think the play missed an opportunity to explore something interesting. They explored Albus' and Delphi's side of the parent/child relationship, but they never juxtaposed Harry and Voldemort. And since Voldemort never technically does anything in the play, I decided to have Harry play out the scene of Delphi getting what she wanted and finally meeting Voldemort. Is Harry a lot more brutal than his character would ever do? Yes, definitely. But I wanted to have this scene happen. Some would call ignoring the characters and their motivations to get to a moment as lazy... and I would totally agree with them. Still, I didn't write Cursed Child. To get to the situation I wanted to explore, I would have to expend a lot more effort than it is worth; so this is close enough. 
> 
> Anyway, this is M.C. Deltat and thank you for reading.


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